Second Chances
by Roste
Summary: The Mirror of Twilight is broken and with it the Hero of Light. The Kingdom of Hyrule has been shattered by the Twilight. Can either of the two ever hope to recover? Are second chances ever given? Eventual LinkxMidna
1. The Lost and the Broken

**Well this is my first fanfic so I hope everyone enjoys it. I know it's a little short but I hope to fix that when I put up new chapters if this goes over well. Any comments or reviews are welcome!**

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Chapter 1- The Lost and the Broken

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Link stared in horror at the spot in which Midna had disappeared. An arm outstretched in a silent plea for her to come back. The miniscule fragments of the Mirror of Twilight continued to settle all around Link and the Princess of Hyrule. Link felt his arm fall to his side and a strange wetness around his eyes. Tears? Never had he cried when he was a child despite the numerous cuts and bruises he had gotten from life spent on the ranch. Yet here they were now, falling, just as his hopes fell and died with the shattering of the mirror. He stepped back once into the now glittering and fell to his knees sobbing and uncaring of the sharp pain that the mirror fragments were grinding into his knees.

The wind howled atop the Arbiter's Grounds as the sun finally set and the hour of twilight came once again. It was how his journey started after all, in twilight, it was only fitting that it end the same. Rusl was right after all. He had never thought of twilight as a lonely hour, but a beautiful one. A view only strengthened as he had come to realize that he had fallen in love with the Twilight Princess. Link raised his head slowly to the sky. Now with Midna gone, it was most certainly the loneliest and sadness time of the day. He felt movement at his side with his heightened senses but did not move. The cool touch of Zelda's hand on his cheek made him flinch and he had to restrain himself at the impulse to growl at the touch.

"She had no other choice Link, the mirror had to be destroyed. Midna was only trying to spare you the pain that a longer farewell would have brought." Zelda said softly. Link turned his head to Zelda and stared into her eyes with his own piercing blue orbs.

"And thus broke my heart in the process…" He whispered barely above the wind. Zelda winced at seeing the pain and sorrow in his eyes but he was not finished. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." His voice rose. "I was never anything more than a tool to her, a plaything, a dog" he barked a short and bitter laugh. "This is my punishment for daring to believe that we could have had something together." Link pounded his fist into the ground with a sharp crack as a larger shard of the mirror shattered once more. "Tell me princess, was it all worth it? Was saving two realms really worth it?" he sneered.

Staring into Links eyes she was unable to give the obvious answer. She had never seen a man so broken. "She loved you Link with all of her heart. A ruler must often make a hard decision, and Midna made one here. To prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again." Zelda consoled him. The anger in his eyes had cooled, like a tempered sword. It was there, but in the guise of cold steel.

"Then she has a funny way of showing love. I must have been blind not to see it" Link bit off sarcastically.

This time the anger was hers. "Don't turn her feelings for you into a mockery Link! In the short time I was one with Midna I felt the truth of her emotions. Anger, sorrow, and pain all the emotions that you feel now. By the goddesses the pain was terrible. All because she knew things could never be. Imagine how she must feel now in her own world without a friend beside her that understands what she is going through. Imagine that and see how selfish and cruel you are being!" she nearly screamed.

Link dropped his gaze to the sand and let loose a single tear, just as Midna had. The swordsman stayed on his knees for a few minutes longer before leaving without another word to Zelda.

The princess gazed at Link's retreating figure and sighed. "So much for the Triforce of Wisdom" she muttered at the darkened symbol on her hand. It was a good thing she had brought her own horse, in Link's current state she would not have enjoyed the ride back to her shattered kingdom. Zelda snorted in a most unladylike manner. There was no way she would have enjoyed the ride back anyways. Her people had lost faith in their ruler, the remnants of the Hylian army were scattered to the four winds, and starvation would soon come in lean months of winter without the normal stores of food being available due to the invasion, not to mention a host of other problems.

The princess walked at a slower rate then Link allowing him the space he needed as she walked down the winding path of the Arbiter's ground to the entrance. Link waited at the entrance stroking his faithful steed Epona while looking into the night sky. Zelda stopped for a moment to sigh again. It would be a perfect portrait of the Hero of Light if the circumstances hadn't been so terrible. This painting only looked nice because all it showed was the back of Link's head, not his eyes. Continuing forward she gathered the reins to her own white mare, Rose. Rose wasn't nearly as well trained as Epona, but she was still a magnificent horse, bred from the finest stables of the Royal Family.

Link turned to face the princess, but his eyes had changed again. No longer were they tempered steel. The once piercing blue eyes had dulled and gone stoic. Somehow this was worse then anger, these eyes held no life whatsoever. A soft wetness fell to her arm and she raised her eyes to the sky unbelieving that rain would make an appearance in the Gerudo Desert before realizing that it was her own tears. Foolish to believe that the goddesses would weep for their hero even though he had given up everything for them. Link didn't say a word to her ears as he effortlessly vaulted on top of Epona. Silently he waited for the princess. Zelda wept for the broken hero on the steps of the Arbiters Grounds, wept for the love that had not been given the chance to flourish. Finally she cursed the fates for their cruel ways.

She spared one last thought for the hero as she struggled on to Rose's back. When she looked upon his broken features, she saw her shattered kingdom. They were one and the same. The Princess of Hyrule and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom wondered if either could ever truly mend, or if wounds of loss and suffering would remain ever open and bleeding.

Watching over the Gerudo Desert and the two figures on horseback pounding over the unforgiving sand, the goddess's of Power, Wisdom, and Courage wept. For the first time in centuries, the Gerudo Desert felt the cool embrace of rain.

Second Chances


	2. Troubled Homecomings

**Well I tried to make this chapter slightly longer, and I was slightly successful. 400 words at a time eh? Not much action going on right now and there won't be for a little while since I want to get everything set up just right. Bear with me and I will do my best to create a great story. **

Chapter 2- Troubled Homecomings

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Link stared up absently at his old house. Any visitor from Castletown might mistake it for a large tree. In fact it had been created out of the base of one of the larger trees on the farthest outskirts of the Faron Forest. The house had been built for him at his coming of age. He smiled half heartedly at his home. It was one of his brighter memories of his life in Ordon.

"_Move your scrawny arse Hanch, I want to have this place done for Link before the day is out! I'm not sure how much longer Ilia can hold that boy." The rest of the villagers chuckled at the poor boys misfortune. Ilia had captured Link after he was done herding goats for the day. Originally Fado had been supposed to delay Link, but as usual he had botched the job._

"_Come on Ilia I need to go wash up at the springs!" Link said exasperated._

"_But I need your help cooking dinner for my father, and we also need some more firewood. You wouldn't make me cut up firewood would you Linky?" Ilia pouted. Link shuddered at the nickname on the inside._

"_I'll do it after I get cleaned up, really I promise. Or do you want me to help cook with goat dung all over me?"Link yelled back as he started to run up the path to the springs. The mayor's daughter tried to catch up, but she was no match for Link's speed._

"_Well I tried" she muttered as she trudged up the path following Link._

_Link grinned as he ditched Ilia. She was his best friend, but she could be so clingy. As he approached clearing before the spring he heard the Mayors booming voice shouting orders._

"_Don't drop that log Jaggle!" Bo shouted as the resounding crack of the aforementioned log fell to the earth. "You almost dropped that on my foot, pay attention!"_

"_Sir yes sir" Jaggle muttered under his breath._

_Link stared at the construction with a dumbfounded expression. The village had seemed to be a little empty, but he hadn't given it much thought at the time. The workers turned to face Link and shuffled nervously. Mayor Bo stepped forward and scratched his head with a guilty expression on his face. "Link my boy, done with work already?"_

"_Yes sir I was just about to get washed up. I uh noticed you guys working here though…" Link trailed off._

"_Well we had hoped to delay you a bit longer, but you caught us red handed. As you know, young men come of age once they reach their 16__th__ birthday here in Ordon. It is tradition for the village to build a house for the boy when his birthday arrives." Bo started. Confused Link waited for an explanation. He didn't know anyone turning 16 today. Whoever it was, Link envied him. The house or more of a treehouse looked amazing, different from the other houses in the village proper. Bo cleared his throat. "We still need to put up a few finishing touches, but other than that…" Bo turned to the other villagers "Just like we practiced boys."_

_Happy Birthday Link!" The men of the village cried out. This sentiment was echoed by Ilia who took the opportunity to jump on Link's back as she arrived to the scene. Links jaw dropped, he had completely forgotten his birthday was today. He stared at the nearly finished treehouse, no his treehouse and his face split into a huge grin._

"_This is the villages gift to you my boy…"_

Had it only been two year ago? It seemed so far away now. The adventures with…her…had aged him. Not because of her, but because of what they had gone through together. A growl escaped his lips as he shook away his memories before they had a chance to engulf him.

Link led Epona to his side yard such as it was, and proceed to take her tack off. Making sure to comb the snags out her matted coat occupied his mind for a short time. Link continued his inspection of Epona cleaning out her hooves and dabbing the few wounds that she had acquired on the journey back to his home town with red potion. His concentration on Epona was so fixed that he didn't notice Ilia walk up slowly behind him.

"Link" she whispered softly. Link turned his head sharply and had the Master Sword half out of its sheath before realizing who it was in front of him.

"Ilia! I'm sorry I didn't know it was you" Link apologized sheathing his sword.

Ilia was taken aback by his face, and most importantly his eyes. This was not the man that had left Ordon a year ago. He had changed. His carefree personality had been stripped of him. It left the look of a warrior, a ragged, broken warrior. To mask her surprise at this new Link she approached Epona. Aside from the sweat of a long ride she was practically spotless. "I see you've taken care of Epona in your travels. A far cry from when I had to scold you for not taking better care of her.

Link gave Ilia a tired smile. In that smile she saw a fragment of the old Link. It was good to know he hadn't completely changed. "I guess your scoldings finally sunk in."

Ilia stepped forward and put her arms around Link. She felt him stiffen in her embrace, and he did not return it. "Oh Link…Whats happened to you" she spoke into his shoulder. Links smile had disappeared the moment Ilia had touched him. The warrior stood there with his childhood friend latched onto him. They had practically been promised to one another before the invasion of Twilight. Now he felt nothing for her aside from his feelings as a friend. He knew what Ilia wanted, but he saw now that it was never meant to be. His heart shattered though it was belonged to a blue skinned being in another world.

Link took a moment before replying, choosing his words carefully. "I loved…and I lost, nothing more, nothing less" he spoke in a monotone. Ilia's arms dragged down Link's side and he felt hot tears soak through soak through his tunic and chainmail.

"I…sorry" he heard her mutter. Before he could react Ilia turned and ran down the path to the village proper. He didn't turn to look after. It was necessary Link told himself. Its not as if he wanted to hurt her, but he couldn't keep letting her believe that they could have something. Link started to make shapes in the dirt with the toe of his boot. The subtle hint that he no longer loved her was the easiest way he could have told her. She was a stubborn woman though. Tomorrow she would continue to try for him. There were just some things that could not be fixed, and Ilia had not yet realized his brutal truth. Soon enough the lesson would strike home though.

Turning to face his house once more, he decided against going in. Te memories were not worth a night in a bed. Luckily the sun was fading though. If he made his way through the village now, no one would be out to see him. The end of light meant the end of the day to the simple farmers. Wearily he dropped all of the various tools he had acquired in his journey in a sloppy pile just out of Epona's reach. Here in Ordon there was no fear of thieves. Slowly he walked down to the main village. Link wandered past Sera's shop and the other villager's homes reveling in his childhood memories that kept his darker thoughts at bay. Coming upon Rusl's modest home his brightest memories sparked. Rusl was Link's foster father. When Link's parents had died during one of the worst winters the Ordona Province had ever known, Rusl and Uli had taken him in and raised him as their own son. That was before Colin had come along of course.

Link turned away from his own home and made for the lake. Uncaring of the freezing water Link jumped in and swam across the small body of water to a little shelf of land. This had always been his special spot simply for the fact that it was quiet, and no one else had the will or desire to swim over to it. A darker mood slipped over his mind as the sun slowly faded over the horizon making way for Twilight. Rusl had said that this was the time of day in which the two worlds merged. If he stared hard enough into the sky, he could almost believe that he saw her face. Midnas. Link's fist clenched and he turned to grab the rock next to him throwing it violently against the jutting stone in the middle of the lake. The shattering of the stone and the memory of the Mirror of Twilight were his last thoughts before Link collapsed out of sheer exhaustion into a troubled slumber.

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**Thanks to Eragon250 for my one review lol Many more will be appreciated so I can get a feel for how well I am doing or sucking Ha**


	3. The Plight of a Kingdom

**Well I finally got my bloody Wii to work so I studied up on some things in TP yesterday. Of course since the castle was destroyed, it doesn't help me much here ******** Oh well, I also noticed that there are like only 2 beds in Ordon, and both are in the Mayors house, whats up with that? Anyways here is chapter 3, enjoy.**

Chapter 3- The Plight of a Kingdom

_3 Weeks after the events at the Arbiter's Grounds_

"My lady, what would you like done with the new supplies?" One of Zelda's retainers gasped out as he burst through the doorway to Telma's bar.

Zelda rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Calm down Lindara, what new supplies?"

"Prince Ralis sent a shipment down the river, some of the soldiers are bringing in the supplies as we speak." She explained. Great, so it was a load of fish. Still it was better than nothing. Frankly she was surprised that the river hadn't frozen over already. Winter had caught the citizens of Castletown by storm, literally. What few crops had survived the Twilight invasion had been killed in a violent flurry of ice and snow. Castletown was surviving, but just barely. The villages surrounding the capital were suffering far worst. Starvation and sickness was running rampant through the unfortunate towns. Her hands were tied though, she had sent as much help as possible to the struggling communities but it was far too little.

She had asked the neighboring countries for aid, and had only received a paltry sum of rupees, a few wagons of food, and the "apologies" that they could not send more. Zelda put her hands over her eyes. Technically these neighboring countries were still Hyrule's allies, but they smelled weakness. Another problem that she couldn't deal with, it seemed that she was failing her people left and right. Zelda sensed that the only reason they were still free was because of winter. It was hard to mount a campaign during the winter even if the enemy was practically defenseless. The only solution that she could think of was a marriage alliance. It would get her people the help they needed and it would deter others from declaring war for fear of upsetting the fragile peace that they had all agreed to. No one on the council of nobles had suggested it yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"Have the supplies distributed equally amongst the people…that includes the nobles." Zelda smiled wearily. If there was one thing Ganondorf had done for her, it was the thinning of the noble blood. Of course it was a tragedy, but one that sped up matters of state greatly. Matters of state hah, by the goddesses she was holed up in a bar! Telma had generously offered to let Zelda use the once headquarters of The Resistance.

"Very good my lady." Lindara spoke quickly as she darted out the door. The bar was ominously quiet with the exception of Telma quietly cleaning glasses with her cat beside her. Everyone, even the nobles were out helping where they could. Zelda stared down at the paperwork in front of her. As is she didn't have enough problems, there was still the matter of her castle and the Hylian army. The towering minarets and arches of Hyrule Castle had collapsed under the strain of Midna's and Ganon's duel. The ancient work of architecture hadn't stood a chance against the powerful magic each being had wielded.

What she wouldn't give for some of that magic right now. Her own meager abilities paled in comparison to what had been wrought in her broken castle. It now looked as if some giant had come and kicked her castle down like a child would topple a tower of blocks. With the castle had gone some of her closest friends, allies, and enemies. Those whom Ganondorf hadn't killed right off had been sealed in one of the wings of the castle. There was no time to mourn her fallen companions though; she had to work to save those still alive.

The Hylian army, if it could be called that was made up of fresh blood. When Zant had first invaded, he had killed off all of her army, almost to the man. The only rock of stability that held them in place was the original armies second in command Alazar. Before Midna had left and Link had spoken to her of the armies obvious flaws he had spoken highly of Alazar. Apparently he had been one of the only men to actually try and stop him when Link had been forced to run through Castletown as a wolf.

Zelda groaned and let her head fall to the table. "What am I going to do?" she muttered into the stained lines of the wood. The soft polishing of the glasses stopped.

"You are going to get some sleep young lady." Telma commanded as she wrapped her arms around Zelda. "I haven't seen you sleep for the past two days." She admonished.

"I've slept" Zelda muttered into the table.

Telma snorted "What for an hour?"

"Sounds about right" Zelda yawned.

Telma let go of Zelda and sighed disgustedly. "I wish you were joking about that."

"Believe me, so do I." She closed her eyes. The door banged loudly causing Zelda to bolt upright in her seat as eight figures walked into the room.

"Get out woman" the lead figure growled gesturing at Telma. The bar mistress stood her ground and crossed her arms. "This is private business of the Royal Family" the figures voice rose.

"My bar, my rules." Telma stated simply. She resisted the urge to tack on a word to the end of her sentence. Baldy. The bald man fumed as he stared at the almost bored looking bar mistress. A slow smile crept onto Zelda's features and she was glad the noble's face was turned away from her.

Suddenly the man deflated like a balloon that had been pricked with a needle, this included the whooshing of air his sigh created. "Fine" he growled again as he turned his face away from Telma. "Not as if it's really going to hurt anything, but procedure must be followed" Lord Ulmar muttered under his breath. Ulmar and his fellow nobles on the council pulled up chairs around the table that had historically held the members of the resistance. "If you insist on staying here than at least make yourself useful and bolt the door." Ulmar said to Telma as he settled into his chair.

"Ale as well" a woman on the council added. She looked over her fellow members who nodded "for all of us. Telma sniffed at their rude tones but moved to do as they said. They were still nobles after all.

_If times hadn't been so different her head would probably be on a pike right now_ Zelda thought.

"Princess Zelda" Ulmar started nodding his head with the other nobles. She probably should have been offended that they hadn't stood and bowed, but she was too tired to complain. "The other councilors and I have been talking…"

"Outside of my presence councilor?" Zelda interrupted. "Tread lightly councilor, I could have you arrested for treason." She was bluffing of course, but it never hurt to remind the council who was in charge. Of course the council held some power, but only if they were united in a single cause could they actually veto a command of the Royal Family. I would be harder if all twenty members of he council still lived, but even as it was eight people, especially nobles had a hard time agreeing on anything. An actual veto had only happened a few times in Hyrule's troubled past, and most were because the ruler was extremely out of line.

Ulmar's eyes narrowed at the threat. "Forgive us my liege, we were only discussing this matter for the betterment of Hyrule. Zelda rolled her eyes in her mind, she had heard that before, and rarely was it true. Ulmar continued his speech "In light of our current situation I would like to purpose an idea on behalf of my fellow council members that may help Hyrule recover. If I may be brutally honest princess…" he started to say before deciding against it.

"You have my permission councilor, I value the truth. Nayru knows I get little enough of it as it is." Zelda savored the momentary wince on Ulmar's face before he masked his features.

"Thank you princess." Ulmar hesitated then spoke again. "The people have lost faith in you. With our current troubles, who can blame them? Now all of us here know that none of this is your fault and that you have done your duty, but the commoners do not. All they see is a ruler who is letting them starve and die." Ulmar spoke not unkindly.

Zelda had to hand it to him, he was brutally honest. Still, it felt as though she had been slapped in the face. "Your assessment is unfortunately accurate councilor" she admitted.

"I'm sorry your highness." Ulmar said sincerely. Zelda nodded at the man.

A new councilor spoke up. "Now would you kindly finish up old man?" The councilor who had ordered the ale grumbled. "Some of us actually have work to do out there.

"Are you implying that I am not working for our country Councilor Siri?" Ulmar rounded on the woman.

"What ever gave you that idea Ulmar?" Siri said sweetly. Lady Siri of the Eldin province was one of Zelda's father's oldest advisors and closest allies. She had extended her help to the princess when her father had passed away. This did not stop her from opposing her on the few occasions they disagreed though. Siri was definitely an interesting character. Unlike the other nobles she was clad in the armor of a Knight of Hyrule. The only difference was that the chain mail was of finer make, and her families crest, the Owl of Eldin was imprinted above the Royal Families symbol on the tabard.

Siri took a swig of the ale that Telma had taken her sweet time getting. She grinned at her fellow councilor as Ulmar's face turned red. Swinging her long black hair around Siri spoke "Since my fellow councilor seems to be suffering from a mild speech impediment, I'll cut to the chase. The people of Hyrule need someone to rally behind. Hope right now is harder to find then a decent meal." Siri said bluntly.

Zelda blinked once. This was certainly not what she had expected. "We don't have anyone like that in Hyrule anymore." She said regaining her composure.

"With all due respect princess, cut the crap."

Zelda's eyes widened at her tone and the other councilors all winced or turned their heads away.

Lord Ulmar cut in before Siri could speak again "What Councilor Siri means to say is well…" Ulmar scratched the back of his head. "Look, we need the Hero. We know you have been keeping his identity and whereabouts secret."

Zelda kept her mask up but cringed on the inside. She had promised Link that she would never ask anything of him again when they had parted ways three weeks before…

_The pair of travelers had been on the road for a week now. They were stopped at an inn called the Silver Dragon a days ride from the southern entrance to Castletown. The sign was cracked and scarred. The r had faded out in Dragon making it seem to be the Silver Dagon. The only clue that hinted otherwise was an amateur drawing of a dragon. Link glanced at the sign again and sighed. It looked nothing like a real dragon. He should know, he had killed one after all. It wasn't an experience one soon forgot. Link dismounted next to Zelda who quickly followed suit._

"_I never knew this place was here." She wondered aloud._

_Link grunted "It's not an establishment that you nobles would ever come to. I barely tolerate it myself." Link stabled Epona and Rose in the dilapidated stable while Zelda looked on anxiously._

"_Are you sure that place isn't going to collapse on our horses Link."_

_He shrugged "It hasn't the past few times I've been here."_

"_Thanks a lot Link, that makes me feel so much better" she said sourly._

"_Glad to hear it" he replied dully. Link made his way into the inn and Zelda followed. Link hadn't gotten any better in the past week of traveling. He wouldn't speak unless spoken to and only then with the bare minimum needed to convey the correct information. In fact he had seemed to grow more introverted which was quite an accomplishment considering Link's personality. A greasy man rubbed his hands together behind the bar as the two customers came in. _

"_Two rooms for the night Octavio" Link called to the man as he threw him a red rupee. Octavio caught the rupee and deftly pocketed it in the folds of his clothing. It was about damn time Octavio thought. His only other customer today had been the man that was currently drinking in the corner by the small fire._

"_Where's the other one yah then?" Octavios beady eyes widened as he recognized the royal symbol on the Woman's dress as she entered. "Pri…Princess…Princess Zelda! An honor to have you in my establishment." Octavio exclaimed as he bowed narrowly missing the counter with his head. He fumbled with his clothing searching for the red rupee. "Your room is free of charge of course!" Finally he pulled out the rupee and laid it on the bar counter._

_Zelda smiled and stepped forward to the counter. "Keep it, you need it far more than I do." She said kindly pushing the rupee towards the man._

"_Thank you my lady, I will treasure it." Link walked up the small flight of stairs and turned a corner leaving Zelda behind. Zelda looked after the retreating hero before turning to Octavio once more. _

"_Octavio" she hesitated._

"_Yes my lady?_

"_How fares Castletown?" She whispered._

_Octavio turned looked down at his feet uncomfortably. "I could tell you all of the problems the citizens are having, but I expect you will find out soon enough princess. Suffice to say that things are not going well for them or any of us. I haven't had a Goron come through here in ages, and Zora don't usually come on land very often so I couldn't tell you how the other races fare." He finished. Zelda nodded and sighed. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news my lady."_

"_Don't apologize Octavio, thank you for the information. Uh, where is my room by the way?"_

"_Second door on the right, Link usually takes the first." He explained._

"_Does Link come here often?" She asked._

"_Whenever he passes through, he is a good man. Always cleans up after himself, tips generously, and sometimes he helps patch the place up if he's running low on cash. My place is always open to him. If more customers were like him I'd be pretty well off, as it is I barely make it by."_

"_I see, thank you again Octavio." Zelda murmured as she slipped off to her room. Octavio gaped like a fish as he realized that he had just had a conversation with the Princess of Hyrule and she had actually listened to him. He shook his head and smiled, such were the wonders of the world._

_Zelda stopped at Link's door and knocked softly. "Its open" he called through the door. She opened the door and slipped inside. "Link I just wanted to…" She started before gasping. Link was sitting on a small mattress with his tunic off. A candle flickered slowly next to him on the night stand casting a soft glow on his features. His arms and chest were a mass of crossed scars from numerous wounds and punctures he had survived. It was hard to imagine that one man had survived all that had been done to him and she would bet her kingdom that his back was no better. Link looked up and saw her horrified expression._

"_These are the price of my mistakes. The price of battle is blood and I paid it willingly. Each and every scar has a story, and I have learned from them all. I didn't learn the final lesson until she was gone though. Without her, all of these lessons are meaningless." Link said without emotion._

"_I'm sorry Link, but think of all the people you saved from our realm and hers."_

"_Your people be damned." He shouted. "I didn't want to become the hero, but I accepted it. I did my job and got torn down for my trouble. I am done with it, hear that Faore, I am done being your hero." He screamed down at the Triforce on his hand._

_Zelda was shocked, even atop the Arbiter's Grounds he had not been this close to losing control. There were no words she could think of to reply to his. Link stood up and threw on his tunic leaving the chain mail behind. He made for the door but before he went out Zelda got her thoughts in order. "Link." The hero paused. "I promise that I will never tell anyone of your deeds no matter how wrong it is. I will never ask you to do anything for my country ever again. That is all I can give you." She whispered. _

_Link stared at her for a long moment before turning to exit. "I'm going for a walk."_

"_In the dark?" She asked incredulously, but he was already gone. Zelda sat down on the now vacated mattress. Her knees felt weak and unstable. That was a side of Link that she hoped no one else ever saw. _

_The door opened again and Zelda wondered what had caused Link to come back so quickly. Instead of Link though, a short man with heavy beard sauntered in. "Well what do we have here? A princess in a run down place like this? Who would have guessed. I think you pissed your bodyguard off, he looked pretty livid when he marched out that door._

"_Who are you?" She questioned the man. One of her hands quested behind her back searching for a weapon. _

_The stranger drew his sword and pointed it at the princess. As much as I would love to tell you, I'm afraid we simply don't have the time. I'll tell you later when we are a little more intimate." The man leered at her. "For now though, off that pretty rump of yours, we need to make a little distance before chuckles comes back. He prodded at her back with the flat of his blade as he moved her towards the entrance of the inn. _

_Octavio must have already retired to his rooms Zelda thought. It was too much to hope that something could go her way this night she frowned as the man shoved her again. Link would find her in time she knew. He was an excellent tracker, especially with his heightened senses. As they made it to the stable a shadow detached itself from wooden wall. Her kidnapper hissed in surprise and brought his blade to Zelda's neck. "Make one false move and I'll gut her._

_Link stepped forward with his sword already out of the scabbard. The man was breathing heavier now with the stale stench of alcohol on his breath. He took another step back. "I swear to Faore I'll do it." He screamed at Link._

_Link closed the distance to the pair in a heartbeat knocking the mans sword away from Zelda while using the Master Sword to cut off the arm that had wielded it. The man staggered back and issued a high pitched scream of pain with blood pouring out of the new stump of his arm. Link whirled an ended it a second later with a swift strike to his opponents heart. Link kneeled down next to the dead man and said _

"_You chose the wrong night, and defiantly the wrong words." Link stood up and faced the princess. His blood spattered face looked even more eerie in the moonlight. During the short fight, she had seen his eyes, and for the first time in a week she had seen something. Whatever it was though, it wasn't good. "Get some rest your highness." He said as he kneeled again to wipe his blade clean on the dead mans tunic before heading back to the inn._

_The following day the pair went their separate ways and a certain innkeeper found a silver rupee on Link's mattress. Right next to a dead mans body._

Zelda slipped out of her reverie to face the situation at hand. "I promised him that I would never ask him to do anything for our country again. Goddesses know that he has earned that." She pleaded.

Ulmar leaned forward "The people need a hero. We are prepared to force your hand if that is what's necessary princess. I'm sorry."

Zelda shook her head "He won't come. Even if he did I promise you all it would not be good for Hyrule. The hero has changed."

"I find that hard to believe your highness. What could so change a man that he would harm his own country rather then help it, especially since he has saved us once already?" Ulmar scoffed.

Zelda gripped the table and sat forward. She would not betray Link's greatest secret to this oaf. "I am not at liberty to say Lord Ulmar."

"Then I see nee no reasoning behind your argument. Will you force us to vote on this matter or will you do as we ask?" Ulmar concluded.

Zelda looked to Siri and the few other loyal councilors desperately. Siri shrugged and took another swig of ale. "My hands are tied. Even I have to agree with Ulmar on this one. Zelda sighed and gave up. "He lives in the Ordona province in the small ranching community. If this is the will of the council I will do as you ask and send a letter to him with the postman. I'm telling you all right now though that he will not come, you will be lucky to get a reply." She warned the councilors.

Ulmar leaned back contently. "Then I suggest you make it clear that we will use force to get him here if necessary." He replied lazily.

Zelda stared at the councilors disbelieving. "I can't believe I'm hearing this!" She exclaimed. "Besides what would you send after him, the army consists of a few hundred recruits! Link would destroy them.

"Link" Ulmar tested out the name. "A good name for the hero. To answer your question my liege, who said anything about sending them after Link? Every man has friends…"

**Well there is chapter 3 for yah. 100 words short of my target of 4000 words T_T Alas. Next chapter will feature Midna then things will start rolling. At least I hope they will. Anyways please review! Thanks!**


	4. Memories of the Lost

**Well here we are with chapter 4 huzzah. Not my best work but whatever. Seems like I a mostly criticized for my grammar not my content, so I'll take that as a win. Honestly that last chapter I finished at 4 in the morning so I was too tired to revise…so their! Aside from that I got a mysterious comment that implied I was sexist 0.o Fortunately I am not, and there will be females that are not damsels, there are probably more strong woman then men in the Zelda universe. Anyways you are probably tired of hearing me blather on, so enjoy!**

Chapter 4- Memories of the Lost

_Minutes after the events of the Arbiter's Grounds_

The black squares slowly formed the shape of a tall woman in the realm of Twilight. As the last of the squares of shadow magic fell into place the figure turned to look one last time into the swirling symbols that were the Twilight Realm's version of the mirror. The faintly glowing outside edge of the ancient magic slowly faded and died giving way to the perpetual Twilight that gave the realm its name. Finally the symbols that formed and held the magic of the mirror together followed suit until only the Triforce in the center remained.

The Twilight Princess stared into the center of the Triforce for one last glimpse at the green clad hero before the Triforce disappeared. The last link between the realm of Light and Shadow had been closed forever. Midna dropped her head and let her tears fall to the barren ground beneath her bare feet. Tears that she had barely contained as she had given Link the false hope that they may meet again.

"_I…see you later…"_

It wasn't fair to him, but she could not bring herself to tell him farewell. She knew that she loved the hero. He was kind, brave, and loyal…even to one such as her. No matter how often she had jabbed and hurt the man he had simply shrugged it off. Oh how it had infuriated her that she couldn't get a single rise out of him. Despite everything she had forced Link to do, he had saved her when the Light Spirit Lanayru had almost destroyed her with its light. Link deserved better than her anyways, selfish and hurtful creature that she was. Of course it could be argued that she had been upset and angry over the form Zant had forced upon her along with the usurpation of her throne. This was partially true, but part of her own nature had driven her to needle the hero.

"Princess!" She heard a voice shout out. The words sounded dull and far away to her. Midna continued into her own thoughts and regrets. Link had friends and that girl Ilia to turn to. The farm girl had seemed nice enough to her when she had observed the her from Link's shadow. She was sure that in time Link would forget about her. After all, the feelings she had for him weren't mutual. Were they?

She was shaken out of her thoughts when a cold hand placed itself upon her shoulder. Quickly she wiped away the tears that had dripped down her face. It wouldn't hide the fact that she had been crying to a close observation, but it wouldn't do to return to her kingdom with a face full of tears.

"Princess, it is you. We feared the worst when Zant took the throne. There were a few of us that were not turned into Shadow Beasts by Zant." The captain of the guard looked away as Midna turned around to face him. "He kept us close to him so that we would see what our failure had wrought. I do not know about the others your highness, but I offer you my life, for my failure to protect you and the rest nobles."

The captain of the guard had noble blood in his veins which gave his features those like Midna's. The pale blue skin and height were roughly the same, but he lacked the symbols of office and the ruby red eyes that Midna possessed. He had been born from one of the less powerful families which explained his status as a guard rather than a haughty nobleman. As the captain started to draw his sword from the scabbard at his belt, Midna placed a hand on his preventing him from drawing the black blade.

"The failure to protect our kingdom from Zant was not yours. There was nothing any of us could have done to stop him." Midna smiled down at the bowed captain's head as she considered her next words. Emril was a loyal soldier who had never given her cause to doubt him, but still. Zant had been loyal as well, if only for a time. If she didn't trust anyone though, no one would ever understand why things had happened. The people in the Light realm may have been blissfully unaware of most of the events of the past year, but her own people were not so lucky.

A few other Twili had gathered in palace courtyard, but it seemed they were unwilling to approach the nobles on the barren hill. She owed her people answers, and they would get them within time.

"I could have stopped him my lady, the second the council declared him unfit for rule I should have had him detained! The council saw him for what he was, that is why they elected you."

Midna was startled by the normally level headed mans outburst. "Under what charge captain? Ambition and lust for power. If I could use that charge against my own council I could imprison more than half of the fools." She spoke frankly.

Emril subsided and scowled at the ground. "Still…" The captain muttered.

Midna growled at the startled captain. "Still nothing. There was nothing any of us could do and I will tell you exactly why when we are not bickering in front of half the people in the capital." The crowd had grown steadily larger and it was only a matter of time before someone worked up the courage to approach their ruler. "Come Emril, we will speak more when we are in my throne room and free from the inspection of my people. I am not yet ready to face them alone."

She gestured for the captain to follow her as she made her way to the square where the Twili moved smoothly aside to allow her passage between the two sols. The Palace of Twilight had cleared upon Ganondorf's death. The shadow crystals that had once formed glittering waterfalls of shadow magic had disappeared. The symbols of the Twili on the palace and its two sister buildings had changed back from the foul tainted red to the glowing cerulean that pervaded the Twili culture. The air was refreshingly free of Shadow Kargaroc which was a pleasant improvement from when she had watched Link fight the nimble beasts. In fact, the halls were surprisingly empty of any life. Midna's and Emril's footsteps echoed loudly through the halls. When Midna looked back to Emril, his head was bowed lower than before.

When the pair reached the throne room and the doors slid silently shut she rounded on the guard captain who flinched back. "Where is everyone?" She hissed at the captain. Upon speaking the captain fell to his knees and let loose a soft moan like those of the commoners Link had transformed with the sols. The sound was a keening of pain and sorrow that was uttered only in the most tragic events. At the time when Link had freed her people, she had assumed they had grieved for themselves. Suddenly the realization hit her. "The Shadow Beasts." She whispered.

Emril nodded and cast an agonized glance at the princess. "When Zant came to the palace again he unleashed his terrible power. Almost every Twili in the palace was changed into a Shadow Beasts, his own personal army. He called it his vengeance against those that had denied him the throne. The entire council was his first targets. They were also the first to die in the invasion of the Light realm, the first wave against the Hylian army. The only ones who were spared the transformation in the palace were the Senior Councilor Alana, Chairman of the Court Wasari, and I." Emril finished choking out the last words. Two Twili nobles entered the throne room and approached the throne. They were the two others who had been spared Zant's perversion of her people.

The woman Alana had a flowing brown mane of hair that extended down to her waist. Despite being the senior councilor she was the youngest member of the council that now only consisted of her alone. The Chairman of the Courts was her stark opposite in age and demeanor. One of the oldest living Twili he was an old man who still managed to retain dignity and poise in every pore of his being while Alana portrayed the qualities of a ravishingly beautiful woman.

Again though appearances could be deceiving. While being able to play off her good looks, Alana was the most dedicated and witty members of her court which had earned her a place as the Senior Councilor. The trying events of the invasion had worn her thin, her bedraggled appearance and loose strands of hair further showed how worn down she was.

Wasari was easily the most likeable man in her former court as long as you were not on the wrong end of justice. His cool appraising eyes could strip the truth from any man or woman just as well as they could show kindness and a rather amusing light that would sparkle within his yellow eyes. His wicked sense of humor was a shock for anyone who didn't know him.

These two people had been the one mostly responsible for denying Zant the throne and were Midna's closest friends and allies. All three Twili fell to their knees as Midna sank into the lumpy seat of the throne. There was a saying about thrones that roughly went, a throne is always hard and uncomfortable, this is to remind the one who sits on it of the burden that they carry. To always remind the wielder of power that ruling was a privilege and honor, not a right. Of course the original statement was much more eloquent, but her thoughts were in a confused jumble.

All of those people dead because of Zant and his god Ganondorf. She remembered when the halls were bustling with life. Everyone going around their appointed duties that made up the schedule of palace life. The cooks, the maids, the servants, the guards, and the nobles were all dead. She had not watched the invasion of Hyrule when she had been sent to that realm. Instead she had been bent on finding the sacred beast that could save them. Never had she realized the toll of the war. The Hylian soldiers she had seen with Link had all been cowards, now she realized why. The real knights had all been killed in a valiant defense of their kingdom. The Shadow Beasts Link had fought off were the shattered remains of the invasion force that Zant had thrown at the overwhelmed Hylian Knights.

Midna felt the overwhelming need to vomit, but she choked down the bile to ask a question. "What remains?"

Wasari raised his wrinkled face and told her of the Twilight realms state. "Aside from the tragedy that was wrought here the realm is actually doing far better than normal. When Zant invaded he changed everyone into those creatures aside from us. In those forms they were quicker and stronger. Insane though he was, Zant realized that the kingdom still needed to run and so he commanded them to work. Without the need for rest or recreation the output tripled that of a normal income. The land actually has a surplus of goods right now." Wasari said in a gravelly voice.

"And fewer mouths to feed." Alana muttered cynically as she stood up. Midna gave Alana a harsh glare which caused the woman to flush and avert her eyes.

Still Midna was surprised at the report of good news though it came at a grave cost. She closed her eyes and tried to sink further into the throne. She would have to replace almost every member of her staff and rebuild the monarchy quickly. Her realm was a body with a head but no limbs. Unlike the realm of Light, the Twilight was united under one ruler, her. This made it extremely difficult to control the entire realm. The governors of each province must still live since none of them had been visiting the palace at the time. At least the realm wouldn't fall apart while she rebuilt the government.

Tiredly she opened her eyes and watched the only inhabitants in the palace as they silently stared into space deep into their own thoughts. She already longed for easy days that she had spent with Link.

Dangerous and tiring ventures as they were, she would rather face that brute King Bulblin than the monstrous task that lay before her. Besides she thought sourly, Link had done most of the work. Quickly she quashed that thought before it could take hold of her. He was gone, and there was nothing she could do about that.

Midna raised her voice to the bowed figures that stood up at her command. She told each of the Twili nobles what had happened and how Zant had gained his awesome power. Their emotions ranged from disbelief to hatred that the Ancient Sages had sent a terrible being like Ganon to their realm. After she finished her speech she commanded each of the members to commence rebuilding the government. They would each take separate areas of the government to rebuild. Emril was put in charge of the Army of Twilight, Alana would rebuild the council from minor nobles that had holdings in the different provinces, and Wasari would be in charge of the court and other servants that made the monarchy run like a well oiled machine. It would take some time, but she had nothing but time left to her.

All that remained was what to tell her people. As the three Twili exited the throne room Midna thought of her people. What would she say? That she was sorry for the loss they had suffered from Zant's insanity. That she would do everything in her power to help the families who had lost so much. How did one go about apologizing for the death of thousands? It wasn't her fault, but as the princess it was her duty to take responsibility. She couldn't even empathize with her people. Her parents had died when she was too young to understand the concept of death. As an only child she was raised by nannies and tutored by the family's advisors who held the families holdings until she was able to claim them.

She now understood death thanks to Link, but the death of a loved one never. She cursed her own foolishness. Losing Link was akin to the death of a loved one, made all the worse because she had done it with her own hands. For her people she would push on though. Link would always remain in her thoughts, but he would remain in farthest reaches of her mind. That was at least until the day was done.

Slowly Midna stood up and faced the empty room. She shivered as she had a thought. This was what it meant to be a ruler, to be alone.

**Well there we are with chapter 4. I know there was little (no) action, and Midna was not her usual snarky self, but you try to be sarcastic when you have just heard of tons of deaths 0.o Action appears next chapter and then if you are lucky and review the couple will come together the chapter after that…maybe. I haven't planned this out I'm just writing what comes into my noodle. Anyways I rushed this one since I'm leaving on a beach trip with no internet for 3 days T_T So the next chapter will be better, but a longer wait will be necessary. I know, you're crushed.**

**P.S. What's the difference between hits and visitors anyways .**


	5. Unwelcome Reminders

**For those of you who haven't shaken your head in disgust and found a better fanfic or a book, here is chapter 5.**

**________________________________________________________________________**

Chapter 5- Unwelcome Reminders

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_A month after the events of the Arbiter's Grounds_

Link set down his shovel and wiped his brow of perspiration. Cleaning up after the goats was a messy business but a necessary one. He looked around at the nearly cleaned stables and grimaced. It was just barely noon and almost all of his chores were done for the day. It had been like this for a month now. The farmwork that had once seemed so long and arduous was now childs play for him. He had already been well muscled from working with the goat herd and his ventures had only toughened him further. As Link had gotten back into his routine, the time to finish his tasks had steadily decreased. Fado looked on with amazement plain on his face each time Link finished for the day.

Work was the only thing that kept his own thoughts away. If he stopped for any appreciable amount of time they would slowly ambush him at every turn. Link had started to take every task available to him to keep free time away. Still, the nights were torturous. The dreams only featured one person in his mind. Midna.

Link attacked another pile of goat dung with his shovel furiously throwing into a cart that Fado would take somewhere. He had since ceased caring about what Fado did with all of it. The pile only lasted for a few more minutes before disappearing. Link glared at the goats in the stable who eyed him curiously.

"Can't you stupid things create some more work for me?" He grumbled. Link threw the shovel into a corner of the stable barely missing the horns of a startled goat who bleated in surprise. Sighing Link walked outside into the crisp afternoon air. The ranch really was a beautiful place once you got past the smell of goats. Link walked to the center of the field and sat down amongst the damp flowers that continued to grow despite the goats best efforts. Fado stood a few yards off daydreaming about something as he usually did. Link snorted, he probably dreams about goats, he certainly smelled like one.

He stared down the path leading to the village and sighed again. He hated going down there now. The villagers had all tried to get him to open up without much success. He appreciated their concern, but it had grown annoying before long. The only one who still attempted to engage a conversation with Link was Ilia. Just as he had predicted, the girl refused to admit defeat. Home cooked meals had gone cold outside of his doorstep many a time. There wasn't much more he could do to discourage his childhood sweet heart unless he was to resort to physical violence. The thought had crossed his mind far too often to his dismay.

Link was slowly rotting from the inside and he knew it. There wasn't any cure for the wasting disease known as heartbreak. He realized that he was sinking into depression again and stood to leave. Absently he called out to Fado that he was done for the day and he responded with a lazy wave of the hand.

The village had thrived in the short time after Ganondorf's defeat. Mayor Bo's house now looked small in comparison to the new buildings that were going up. People had migrated to the Ordona Province in a flood upon rumors that they had food and supplies. This was true since it had been the only unaffected province in Hyrule due to his efforts. The only problem was that they had migrated during winter. Newcomers consumed goods at an alarming rate and they could not give back to the community since no crops would grow. The farmers in all the villages in Ordona were now rich, but they had nothing to spend the glittering jewels on.

Link hurried on to his house as he saw the shadow of a girl come closer to him. As soon as he had left the shadow behind he ran up the path to his refuge not bothering to use the ladder. Link slammed the door to his house shut and slumped against it. All hail the mighty Hero of Light he thought sarcastically. It had come to this, running away from a teenage girl.

Link straightened and moved to the cold fireplace. He took an iron poker and idly stirred the ashes from his morning meal. The black and grey ashes broke and crumbled under the slight touch of the metal. That's what had happened with his heart he realized. It had turned black and cold before crumbling into dust. The anger and hatred he had felt had faded with time and with it his will to get up every morning. Angrily Link threw the poker at the wall embedding the sharp metal in the wall. This is what came with to much time alone.

Link felt under his faded green for the small unassuming brown bag that hung from a thong around his neck. It was his last link to the Twilight Realm. He was unsure if Midna had simply forgot about the stone, or if she had purposely left it for him. Regardless it was his most prized possession now. Funny to think that months before it had been a curse that he had wanted lifted. Now it offered him a last chance at freedom. To assume the form of the Sacred Beast and leave human possessions and thoughts behind. To be at one with nature and uncaring of the problems that came with rational thought. Link longed for that freedom, but somehow he could not bring himself to touch the angry orange and black artifact of shadow.

Link held the bag for a moment longer before tucking it back under his tunic next to his heart. Link climbed up one ladder to the small writing desk tucked against the corner of the wall. It had rarely been used for its original purpose, but it was the site of the drawings he had made over the years. The drawings were simple but well done. He had given one to all of the original villagers at one time or another for a special occasion. The ranch and its animals starred in most of his artwork. Sometimes he threw Fado in as well since the portraits usually began in the field when the work was done. Only one drawing had gone unfinished, and it would remain that way. His gaze travelled over the scarred wood of the table to the unfinished work.

It was the only project that he had ever attempted to use color in. the outside edges of the paper were dark black creating a feeling of closed walls. A pool of serene water held the center stage laced with green foliage. The water seemed to convey the depth a clarity that it held in life. Two paths arched around either side of the shimmering pool with vines dangling off the sides. Floating above the pool was a long mass of glowing light ending with glowing center of light that faced the short span of rock that jutted towards the center of the pool. The Light Spirit Lanayru had taken the longest amount of time so far to draw as it defied his every move to make it seem more real. He still wasn't satisfied with it, but it was not the real inspiration behind the drawing. The beginnings of a fused shadow stuck out starkly against the otherwise bright drawing. The top that was finished was lovingly drawn. Many a night Link had stayed up to watch the imp's troubled sleep to get a feel for the helmet.

Now it was all wasted effort. When Midna had left, so had his inspiration for the drawing. Link turned away from the table forgetting why he had even come up in the first place. Dropping down to the floor Link's next destination was the basement. Brushing aside the cobwebs that had formed around the various supplies, Link looked for anything edible feeling blindly with his hands. His cupboard a level up was frighteningly empty. He stumbled across a box that had dropped to the floor and fell face first in front of a shining surface. Slowly he stuck out a finger which stopped abruptly when it hid the hard surface of the glass. Link winced and snatched the object bringing it up into the light where he could examine the cause of his stubbed finger.

It was his mother's old mirror. Dust had settled around mirror obscuring the reflection of his face. He grabbed a cloth and carefully wiped the mirror down sitting in front of the small mirror. He had completely forgotten its existence, and frankly wished it had remained buried. It's not as if he had any good experiences with mirrors. Link snorted and shook the thought away staring deeply into the mirror.

Sandy blond hair and a floppy green hat met his vision. A goofy smile soon joined the picture. Did he really look that odd? He examined his own features for a while longer before a short cry for help greeted his ears. Old habits kicked in and Link rushed outside with the Master Sword drawn. He hadn't had the will to return the sword to its rightful place yet.

"Mr. Link! I have a letter for you!" The postman exclaimed as Link burst through the door. The odd man looked even stranger hanging upside down on his ladder. Apparently his sandal had gotten caught on one of the longer branches that poked through the ladder rungs. When the postman had reached down to remedy the problem he had lost his grip throwing him into his current predicament. Despite Link's current mood he had to grin at the postman's plight." If you could just help me get my bearings I would gladly give it to you."

Link jumped down and released the snagged foot resulting in a loud thump on the ground. Link winced at the sound. As if the man wasn't addled enough already. The man was up quickly dusting off his white shorts and shirt. Reaching into his bag he delivered the letter to Link, but against custom the postman remained where he was twiddling his thumbs. Glancing down at the letter he saw the symbol of the Royal Family sealing the envelope closed. The old anger flared in his heart and he made to tear the letter in two before the small hands of the postman clamped down on his wrists.

"Mr. Link, I was ordered to make sure that you read the letter. The council demanded it, if I do not make sure you read it, my life is forfeit."

Link glared at the man but loosened his hold on the letter eliciting a sigh of relief from the postman. He had no desire to see anyone killed by his actions. Link tore the seal apart and let the envelope fly away on the wind. The postman winced at the rough treatment of the mail but stayed silent. The letter was short, but damning.

_Link,_

_I am sorry that I must break my promise to you. If I had any choice in the matter I would not ask this request of you but the council has forced my hand .In light of Hyrule's recent troubles, the people have lost faith in me and the Royal Family. The people of Hyrule need a Hero. They need someone to rally behind, they need you. I tried to explain to the council why you would not come, but they would not listen to reason. I truly wish that I did not have to give this ultimatum as it is not mine. The council has threatened to harm the people of Ordon if you do not comply with their wishes and come to Castletown within two weeks upon the arrival of this letter. For what it's worth, you will be knighted and the council has agreed to your choice of reward for your service to the country. Though I do not wish to force this upon you I will say this. The people do need a hero, the council was right about that. Please help us not because of this threat, but for the countless innocents that have lost hope in face of starvation and death._

_Zelda_

The letter ended abruptly with the princess's elegant signature affixed to the end without the normal titles of station. Link's fists clenched around the expensive paper, crumpling the gilded sides before letting it join the envelope. _She has the nerve to ask me of all people, to help her bloody country. Then she threatens the well being of innocent villagers to force me into it? He thought. _He knew that he was being unfair about blaming Zelda, but it was easier to blame a familiar face rather than the nebulous figures that made up the Council.

The decision he had to make was really quite simple in his mind, but it still rankled at him. A reward and knighthood were offered as well. What good would a fancy title do him? The reward had potential though. Although there weren't any material items that appealed to the hero, there was one thing that he wanted more than anything this realm had to offer. When he had pressed Zelda about alternate paths into the Twilight Realm she had denied any knowledge of a different route. With the resources that the Royal Family had though, perhaps he could discover a way through. The odds were slim, but there weren't any other bright spots in this new bleak future.

The postman had backed up nervously and was now hopping on what foot to the other. After all there was more mail to be delivered. Link turned his attention to the man.

"Tell the council I will be there soon."

"Very good Mr. Link. Onward to Mail!" The odd little man shouted as he sped off into Faron Woods. Link was bewildered by the mans ability to run as fast as he did. _Perhaps he could even rival Epona._ Link smiled before recalling his new task. Be the figurehead to an entire population of starved and dying families. Wonderful. Once upon a time, he would have leaped at the chance to help them even though he detested attention. Now he would do this for an entirely selfish reason. To see the woman who had broken his heart.

Turning around he headed back inside unaware of the person who now watched him. Link gathered the supplies he would need for this latest journey. It wasn't hard to get back into the routine of gearing up for battle. Home hadn't felt the same since he had left on his quest with Midna, thus there was little that held him to him hometown any longer. Link grabbed his Hero's Bow, Gale Boomerang, Clawshots, Lantern, and Horse Call piling them in the center of the room. A moment later two bottles of Red Potion joined the gear. Everything else was too heavy or inconvenient to carry himself. Midna's little storage compartment hadn't struck him as that useful until she had left him. The only other item he could take would be bombs. Link looked into the corner of the rooms they were stacked in before deciding against it. Even when he had been gallivanting across the land he had never been comfortable with three bags full of explosives so close to his person. Finally he decided against it. It's not as if the dangers of Hyrule Field were that life threatening.

Link dragged his gear outside near Epona who was contentedly chewing on the grass in the niche that served as a makeshift stable. "Ready for another adventure old girl?" He asked Epona. That comment would probably have earned him a swift kick in the stomach had he been in his wolf form. As it was, Epona turned her head to stare at him as if declaring a warning. Link chuckled to himself. He knew for a fact that animals were much smarter than they let on.

Link had just finished cinching up Epona's saddle when Ilia stepped out from behind a tree where the targets had used to hang.

"Planning on leaving without saying goodbye Link?"

Link started at her voice before calmly turning around to face the girl. "I felt that it would be best if I left this way."

"Right, just leave everyone that loves you blind and in the dark." Ilia held out a hand that contained the hated letter that he had left to nature to take care of. Obviously, Faore had failed to do her job once again. "Off to be the hero again Link, and this time to save all of us from our own government."

"You see why I have to go then. I have to protect all of you."

"No you don't!" Ilia shouted out. She had the beginnings of tears at the corners of her bright emerald eyes. "We can protect ourselves Link, you don't always have to be the only one to risk your own hide."

"It is my curse I'm afraid. Think about what you are saying Ilia. Even though Hyrule is still reeling from our recent war, the Royal family has enough power to destroy this village. The soldiers they posses may be untrained, but they would still manage to defeat a few farmers. Rusl and I can't protect all of you alone."

Ilia set her jaw and pushed forward again. "You barely even got angry at this mess. If I were you I would be spitting fire. Even now you are calm, like you are going off for a picnic. Why is that Link?"

Ilia had started to walk on dangerous water. "You wouldn't under…"

"Like hell I wouldn't." Ilia cut him off. "I understand why you are going to Castletown. You are in love with the princess aren't you?" Ilia sank to her knees in front of Link sobbing.

Link had frozen upon her words. They were far close to the mark. Link closed the gap between them and kneeled down next to Ilia giving her a weak hug. "No, I am not in love with Zelda."

"Then why aren't you fighting this Link?" She spoke through the tears.

Link considered the question before replying. "She has something I want, and this is the quickest way to get it." He let Ilia calm down a while longer staring to the sun in the meantime. He was wasting precious daylight. "If all goes well in the capital, I will probably not be back." There, he had said it. Even if his mission failed, he knew that he would never be back.

Surprisingly no more accusations came from the farm girl. Only a single question came from her lips. "Why was I never good enough for you Link?"

The question pulled at his heart strings. He stared at the top of Ilia's curly blond hair. "It was never you, it's me. My heart belongs to another. What we had was a childish infatuation with one another. Along my journey I realized it was not love. You will always be my best friend Ilia, but nothing more. I am sure you will make some other man a wonderful companion."

Ilia pulled away from Link and stood up along with Link. "Don't do anything out of your league alright?" She smiled weakly at him.

Link smiled back at her at the old farewell. "Goodbye Ilia" Link turned away from Ilia and his village and mounted Epona. With a short kick he and Epona galloped off into Faron Woods. He never looked back.

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Three days into his journey and he was already low on food. Link was disgusted with himself. Midna's quick transportation had made him lazy. Why pack heavy supplies or hunt when you had magic that could warp you to the nearest market. Life was abundant in Hyrule Field though, so he supposed a little hunting could be done. Castletown was only three days away, two if he pressed on into the night.

For all his thoughts of life, the plains remained startlingly empty. Pine trees swayed in the gentle breeze. The grass was low due to grazing animals. Every now and then a pool of water would appear over the next hill. Hyrule truly was a paradise. The mainland was well suited for human habitation and their fewer Hylian counterparts. The outer reaches even offered the correct territory for the neighboring races of the Gorons and Zora.

Link let Epona have her way and let go of the reins. She knew the path to Castletown well enough by now. With this minor distraction out of the way, Link settled deeper into his thoughts. Though he was loathe to admit it, this small trip had eased his mind. The nightmares that had been plaguing him for the past month were subdued and weak compared to nights alone in his house. They could return at any moment, but he was content for the moment.

Still lost in his thoughts, he and Epona passed through a narrow passage littered with rocks and other debris. Epona delicately moved around these obstacles to not cause her master any discomfort. Link leaned forward to gather the reins in his hands when he saw Epona's ears twitch back in fear or anger. This was his only warning as arrows came shooting down from the cliffs above him. The red warhorse reared and burst into a gallop that came to an abrupt end as she staggered and fell to her side throwing Link off the saddle. Link crashed into small rocks pebbles that left numerous cuts on his unprotected face. His chainmail absorbed most of the impact of his fall, but it was still bone rattling. Link struggled to release the Master Sword as he stood up and groaned.

A raiding party of roughly forty bulbins stood upon the cliffs with bows, the bowstrings were pulled taut and they were all aimed at him. A smaller party of bulbins trapped him in the tight passage coming from both sides. The situation did not look good. He could easily cut his way through the ground forces. That was if he didn't mind being a pincushion. The bulbins in the passage continued to slowly creep up on Link with their crude cudgels in hand. Why the ugly green creatures had not killed him yet was a mystery.

A few yards farther down the path, Epona struggled onto her feet. Why she had fallen was immediately apparent when he saw three arrows sprouting from her flank. None of the injuries were life threatening, but the pain would be immense. Any plans he had of trying to make a quick getaway vanished as Epona threw herself into the mass of bulbins in front of her in a desperate attempt to escape the danger. Silently he cursed the horse, but it was in their nature.

The only other option that didn't involve getting immediately killed would be to surrender. Almost immediately he rebelled against the thought, but he forced himself to consider the option in his rapidly fading time. The bulbins still hadn't made a move, but it would not remain that way for long. Link knew that the bulbin took prisoners. The kidnapping of the village children proved that. He also knew they had some measure of intelligence behind their beady eyes. After all, their king had actually spoken to him once. This was all well and good, but the end result of this scenario always seemed the same. Link roasting over and open fire alongside one of their boars.

Well if he was going to be taken prisoner or killed he might as well take a few of the monsters with him. With a blindingly fast burst of speed, Link rushed the still recovering bulbins that Epona had torn through. The Master Sword cleaved through the air decapitating the first bulbin in range. Instantly he dipped to avoid a cudgel and lashed out with a leg tripping three of the warriors. Link managed to cut into two other bulbins feeling the black blood spatter onto his face and tunic before the first arrow hit him. It clipped the hero in the shoulder spinning Link around. This was only the first of many as five more arrows found homes in his flesh. His armor could only protect him from so much. The other arrows found targets of their own striking into their own allies. So much for intelligence.

The pain was terrible, and falling to the ground amongst the bulbin corpses didn't help matters. The taste of grit and blood filled his mouth as his vision slowly faded to black. A pained smile made its way across the hero's face. Those haughty nobles were going to be so pissed. Link fell unconscious.

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"_Link, Link…Wake up!" A voice called out to him. The hero complied with the voices wish. Link tried to stand, but his legs would not budge. When he opened his eyes everything seemed clearer, like a fog had vanished from his eyes. He felt strange, but the feeling wasn't bad, in fact it increased and Link felt himself grow stronger. The land about him was dark, but the sky was hued in soft yellows and oranges. Black flecks flew around in the air. Realization slowly dawned on him. This was the twilight Realm._

_The owner of the voice stood several feet away from him. Link had to look up to meet the owner's gaze which was odd since Link was considered tall. All further thoughts passed from his mind as his eyes met those of the strangers. A pool of deep crimson red surrounded by an ocean of yellow. He knew these eyes, they were Midna's. Her body was covered in the same cloak that Zelda had worn during Zant's occupation leaving only her face to look upon._

_"Midna!" Link cried out. When all his ears picked up was a mournful howl, Link forced his sight away from Midna to look at his own body. Short grey and white fur greeted his sight. He had turned back into the Sacred Beast. The ache on his left foreleg was an unwelcome feeling. It bit through his fur and into his skin. Midna had never removed the shackle for some reason._

_As link had turned to look at himself, Midna had closed the distance between them. Silently she kneeled down and put her thin, but strong arms around his head. Link closed his eyes and buried his head in her arms breathing in her smell. He had always imagined holding Midna in his arms, but this was close enough. After a few moments a peel of laughter came from her lips. It was nearly identical to that mocking chuckle that Midna had given him whenever she had felt he was being dense. It was somehow off though, but he couldn't figure out why. "I've missed you Link." She whispered into his ear. Midna's beautiful voice had undergone a change. It was no longer melodic and smooth as he had remembered._

_Link snapped his eyes open squirmed out of Midna's grasp. Something was terribly wrong. A low growl came through his lips as Midna stood up to face him. Before his eyes Midna's face disappeared to be replaced by pure yellow eyes. The new face was that of a Twili's except more sinister and dark, darker than even Zant's mad gaze. Its features were perfect with the exception of its mouth which had a jagged diagonal scar across it. The rest of the new Twili's body was still covered by the grey cloak._

_"Did I scare the poor puppy?" The figure said with a deep male baritone. "Don't you want to snuggle in my arms?" The figure mocked him and held out his arms as if to encompass Link. "I can help you get what you want." The Twili's face transformed once again into Midna's. "I can help you get back into the lands of Twilight." It said in Midna's voice. "I don't even want anything in return. Aren't I generous?"_

_When Link continued to growl, the figure shrugged and the other Twili's face came back. "Consider it a reward if you manage to get out of your current predicament. Ask Zelda about her secret friends. She will know what you mean." The cloaked figure began to float off the barren ground and circled around Link making him circle to keep the cloaked Twili in his view. Abruptly it vanished only to reappear in front of Link's muzzle looking him in the eye. "I wish I had more time to chat, but it seems you're wanted for supper. Good luck." The Twili vanished and along with it, the landscape of Twilight._

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Pain was the first sensation to hit him as his body awakened. A groan of pain escaped his lips as he opened his eyes to assess the situation. The last thing he remembered was getting thrown off Epona's saddle. Slowly the situation came back to him as he looked around his environment. The arrows were still embedded along his back and his vision was cloudy indicating a blow to the head. The dumb brutes had probably hit him in the head to make sure he would stay down. Although the arrows were painful, it was probably best if they remained where they were for now. Otherwise he would have bled out by now.

Thick cords of rope were tied link to a thick wooden pole. They bit deeply enough into his wrists to make him bleed. The bulbins that had captured him sat by huge bonfire. His situation was bad, extremely bad. The only thing he really had going for him is that he wasn't yet on a spit over the fire. It wasn't in his nature to give up easily, but as things stood, the situation was hopeless. He was wounded, surrounded by enemies, tied to a pole, and had no weapons to speak of. Link had been in hopeless situations before, but this one took the cake.

One of the bulbins turned around and saw that Link was awake. Grinning evilly, it gestured to its companions. Four other bulbins came to stand next to the one who had seen Link and they jabbered amongst themselves before coming to a consensus. The bulbins came to Link and started to untie Link's hands. Presumably so they could roast him alive. His breathing hitched as he watched the bulbins at their work. This would be his only chance. As the dirty fingers finished untying him, Link smashed his fist into the side of one bulbins face and prepared to let loose on another. The remaining bulbins dog piled on top of Link pinning him to the ground. This movement pushed the arrows deeper into Link's skin and broke the shaft on many of the arrows. With the accompanying pain, the fight left Link's body.

The bulbins sensing that link had given up warily picked him up and dumped him unceremoniously next to the fire eliciting another grunt of pain from Link. The five bulbins started to argue amongst themselves once more and several others joined in as well. Their guttural voices drowned out the noises of the night air. After a few minutes a bulbin finally screeched at its companions and drew a knife from its belt diving at Link. This is how it would end, dinner for a bulbin, he had failed both the people of Hyrule and Midna.

A whizzing noise flew over Links head and impacted on the attacking bulbins forehead causing the creature to die mid lunge at Link's feet. The whizzing noise was an arrow. Several other shots followed the first driving the bulbins into a panic. Most fled the bonfire and headed off in random directions while the remaining few were systematically cut down by arrows. Whoever had saved his life was an excellent shot, he would give them that.

In his peripheral vision, Link saw a glint of silver running towards him.

**There's chapter 5 for you. Sorry it took so long, but I suffered from a bout of laziness, a case of hatred towards Nintendo since my Wii finally gave up the ghost, and a mild case of traitor…ism…I started reading a Metroid fanfic *gasp* Anyways, this was originally going to be longer, but due to time constraints caused by a roadtrip tomorrow, I cut it off here. If I have wifi and time on my latest trip I'll see if I can get another chapter up. If not, well that's the way the cookie crumbles. See ya.**


	6. Lucky Encounters

**After a long undeserved break I am back, huzzah. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but to make up for it I am going to try and fire out the next chapters a little more quickly, but no promises. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 6- Lucky encounters

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Link woke up to the same pain that had been clinging to him ever since he had been ambushed. A sense of time seemed to be slipping away from him with each new lance of agony that came from periodic bumps and scrapes along the plains. Link slowly turned his head around in an effort to understand his latest situation. Everything was blurry, and it didn't help that the only light to speak of was from the full moon in the sky.

The landscape slowly moved by in his vision. Why was he moving, and more importantly how. With his back riddled full of arrows and a nasty head wound, he could barely keep his eyes open. His wits were slowly coming back to him, but scrambled anew each time his legs scraped against a jagged rock or the like. The last memory he had was of a silver flash. After that all went dark again. He must have passed out again. Trying to piece the puzzles of the night's events he answered the mystery of the moving field. He was being dragged. In hindsight it should have been obvious, but in his current state, the obvious just wasn't cutting it.

A grunt off effort made its way to Link's ears and he tried to crane his head around enough to find the cause of it. His head barely turned enough to see the same glimpse of silver reflected by the moonlight that he had seen before passing out once more. Link tried to move his muscles, but they stubbornly refused his every command.

All of his efforts availed him nothing but the attention of his newest captor. Hyrule Field stopped moving for a moment and Link felt the gaze of an unknown creature pass over him. The respite was brief and when Link was dragged forward once more, it was at a faster pace.

Link gritted his teeth resisting the urge to cry out in pain as the pain from his wounds continued to assault him along with the land itself. _What I wouldn't give for a red potion right now._ The bumpy ride was blissfully short and sooner than he thought, he was dumped in a broken heap next to a towering redwood tree. His captor had the courtesy to at least put him down on his chest to avoid aggravating his arrow wounds in his back.

The grass was still wet from a previous shower of rain. It felt heavenly against the skin of his face as he buried his head in the soft blades. Forgetting his pain and problems Link reveled in the touch of wet water that soaked through his tunic. It's not as if he could do anything about them. Best just to leave his fate in the hands of the goddesses. A black thought joined his already troubled mind. _Because leaving things to them has worked out so well before_, he thought bitterly.

A small blaze of orange appeared in the corner of his eye and Link turned his head to face it. A small but cheery fire was lit beneath base of another redwood that had fallen due to the forces of time. The trees base provided shelter from the elements and some modicum of cover from unwelcome eyes. The base was also high enough off the ground that the fire if kept under control, wouldn't blaze up and light the wood on fire.

The fire and shelter only held his interest for a few moments before he turned his gaze to a short figure crouching next to the fire. This would be his savior, and if things continued as they had been, his new captor.

The thing was shaped like a human, but he didn't allow himself to relax. Just because it was human, didn't mean it was friendly. Although having saved his life, a measure of gratitude was required. Two dark shoulder length ponytails were visible in the meager light of the fire. The only other distinguishing features he could make out with the poor lighting was steel armor covering the persons left shoulder down to a mailed hand. His observations were interrupted when the figure turned around to face him.

"You took quite a beating Link, frankly I'm surprised you are even conscious, yeah."

The familiar ending word at the end of the sentence would have given away the figures identity even if he had not seen the face. Standing above him with a bottle of red potion was the youngest member of the old resistance. "Ashei," he groaned.

"I hope that groan was from the pain, I'd hate to think that you weren't happy to see me." Ashei said blandly. The comment drew a pained smile from Link's cracked lips. It was probably the closest thing to a joke he had ever heard from her.

Ashei knelt down next to Link to grab his tunic once more and proceeded to drag him closer to the fire. She let the arrows be for the moment and uncorked the bottle of potion. After she removed her right gauntlet she let a few small drops fall to her fingers. Link winced as she gently rubbed the liquid around on his battered face. The stinging vanished from his face and he longed to take a good swing of the life saving liquid. However with the arrows still embedded in his back it would only make things worse.

One time he had hastily drank about half of a bottle of the stuff in order to get rid of the pain with an arrow still lodged in his arm. The magic potion went to work instantly trying to repair the torn muscles and skin. When the potion met with resistance with the foreign object it had forcefully pushed the barbed head out of his flesh. Needless to say the whole procedure had probably been more painful then actually getting hit. Still the potion had done its work. With these wounds trying a stunt like that would probably get him killed in short order.

Ashei stopped her ministrations of the smaller wounds she could reach and walked into the shadows of the woods for a minute returning with a strip of leather. "I'm going to remove the arrows as best I can. It's gonna sting a bit and I'm not sure if I scared off every bulbin in these parts. Best to be safe though so bite down on this, it will reduce the noise and you won't bite through your own tongue, yeah." She said dropping the strip next to his face.

"Gee thanks." Link bit off sarcastically. He followed this with a short statement, "I hate battlefield surgery." A ghost of a smile appeared on Ashei's severe features before being replaced with the usual tight lipped grimace. The woman took a small dagger from her belt and began to cut into his tunic in order to pull the garment off without it getting snagged on the arrow shafts. A brief thought floated into his mind that he hadn't even brought a spare set of clothing.

Once the garment was off the chain mail came next. It was a bit more difficult to remove and it required Link to shift around. When it was finally off, Ashei laid the mail next to Link and he had a chance to observe the damage. The chain links were broken in the impacted areas. Other spots along the mail showed signs of abuse where the armor had managed to deflect projectiles.

The hero sighed and reached for the leather strip biting down as hard as he could on the salty leather. Ashei readied her dagger and knelt over Link. "Ready?" She asked. He gave her a short nod. "I apologize for this in advance." Without further delay she sought out what looked to be the deepest of the arrows. The mail had slowed the arrow to an extent preventing it from burying in his skin to deeply, but enough that it would be difficult to extract. She took the slim dagger and began to cut into the skin around the shaft.

At that first contact Link tensed as the first tendrils of agony reached him. It was one thing to get cut in battle where the adrenaline kept the pain at bay, quite another when you were lying helpless on the ground.

Ashei dropped the dagger to her side and grabbed the shaft of the arrow as soon as she had judged she was deep enough. She wrenched the arrow out bit by bit trying to minimize the damage done to Link, a potion could only do so much for the human body.

For Link the pain was bearable, but his willpower wouldn't last through the extraction of four more arrows. When Midna was still with him she had simply treated these wounds by disintegrating the entire arrow with precise shadow magic. Followed with a red potion it was simple and relatively pain free compared to this. As Ashei started in on the next arrow the sharp pain continued to grow. Silently he cursed healing procedures, it simply wasn't right that one had to cause more pain in order to remove others. His jaw was beginning to ache from the pressure he was exerting on the leather in his mouth.

"That's two of them Link, bear with me a little longer." Ashei said. He responded with a grunt not wishing to release his hold on the leather to respond. It was probably for the best because without warning she continued on to the next arrow. Groaning he scrambled for something to think about other than the knife digging into his back. Midna, the reason for this trip. If it meant seeing her again this would all be worth it.

He let his mind drift away from the grisly business at hand to visit the sanctuary of his memories.

When he had first met the imp, it was in the dark cell deep within the walls of Hyrule Castle. She had seemed almost like everything else he had witnessed since getting dragged into the alternate realm. Dark, cruel, even evil. Her persona and visage did little to change this image of her. Even her laugh or chuckle whatever you wanted to call it had seemed sinister. Like the sound an evil child would make in a nightmare.

He winced as he felt the third arrow leave his back and delved deeper into his memories.

Midna had helped him escape at the cost of his own dignity. She had called him names, insulted the things he loved most, and resorted at her very worst to cause physical violence. It wasn't as if it had really hurt in his canine body, but the fact remained that their relationship hadn't been very amicable. If anything the little imp was worse than the creatures of the Twilight realm. At least they were honest about trying to kill him. Something about her eyes or rather the one he could see at the time had kept him from ever complaining though. A deep sorrow that was visible once he had managed to pierce the veil of sarcasm that she had kept up to her last moment in the light realm.

The fourth arrow came out more jaggedly than the others nearly causing him to blackout.

For all that she had done to him; he had still been drawn to her. The long journey that they had faced together pushed them together time and time again. Slowly his anger towards her dissolved and faded. He wasn't sure when it was that the anger had changed to love. Even if she wasn't human he wanted to be there for her. It didn't matter that she was hideous to most eyes, she was beautiful to him. Of course that sentiment had vastly changed when he had seen her true form. It had grown tenfold. But for all that she was still gone, taken by a duty to her people.

The last arrow was tossed aside and the cool glass of a bottle was placed against his lips. Link forced his throat to accept the bitter potion. This would probably be the worst part of the procedure.

The potion rushed throughout his body seeking out the internal injuries he had suffered. Without wasting any time it forcefully healed bone, flesh, and blood. The pain of forced healing was terrible, greater than the arrow wound itself. Soon the blinding pain was over leaving him exhausted. A cool hand spread more of the potion on the outside of his body seeking out every wound he had sustained in order to prevent scarring and speed up the healing process.

"Thank you," Link whispered as he let oblivion slip over him.

Ashei stopped her ministrations when she sensed that he had fallen unconscious. Leaning back against a small tree she watched the sleeping hero. As she had tended to him, she had seen the numerous scars crossing his back. A hard man to kill. Sighing she left her comfortable seat to wash her hands of Link's blood in a nearby stream. By morning he would be fine if incredibly tired as well. Thanks to the potion the wounds had closed without becoming infected.

It had been pure chance that she had been there to save him. She had been on a journey to visit the Gorons of Death Mountain in her never ending search when Epona had come racing towards her. For a minute she had thought the horse would simply trample over her, but thankfully she had stopped short of that. Naturally without seeing a rider in her saddle she had become alarmed.

It had taken a few hours to back track to the ambush site since Epona had refused to be ridden and she hadn't brought her own mount. Once she had ascertained what had happened it had taken three more long hours to track the bulbins back to their camp. It was a good thing she had arrived when she had. A minute later and Link would be a little crispy.

Questions could wait for tomorrow, but she still wondered what had brought Link out of hiding. Rumors had reached her that Link had disappeared. Anything from he had been killed to the Hero of Light had fallen in love and ridden off into the sunset were funneling through the populace of Hyrule. Such were the nature of rumors though. With a little detective work she had figured out where he was to satisfy her curiosity.

Still she hadn't thought to seem him out of his village ever again. The last time she had seen him had been happenstance once again on the main road. She had wanted to catch up with Link but upon her first glance at him she had clamped her mouth shut. The pain in his eyes had rendered her speechless and she had simply let him continue to ride on by her.

Now he was here though, and at the very least he owed her some answers.

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He had awoken with aches all over his body. He hadn't been that hurt since his duel with Ganondorf. For being such a large man he had been incredibly quick. Almost too quick on some occasions. Absently his hand reached down towards his left leg. A particularly nasty scar still resided there. No matter how he had tried to treat the wound it hadn't closed. It had been all he could do to staunch the wound. Only time had healed the wound and it had left a scar to mark its tenacity. Whether it was the cursed sword or Ganondorf's own power that had caused the mark, it still troubled him.

Ashei walked by Link's side eyeing him occasionally to make sure he wasn't falling off Epona. It was amazing enough that he had been able to walk under his own power. Even if his body was healed he shouldn't have been able to move much less walk after his ordeal. She shook her head, it was no wonder he had managed to save their realm. Faore had chosen her hero well.

The pair had been traveling together for half the day. No words had been exchanged except for another thanks. Ashei had silently followed Link altering her path from the one she had originally planned to follow. Link had not told her to go or stay, but curiosity and some concern caused her to follow. After all it wouldn't do to have gone through all the trouble of saving his life only to be waylaid by another marauding band of monsters. That or he would get himself killed when he fell off Epona and cracked his skull open like a cucco egg out of sheer exhaustion.

She was used to silence since she traveled alone the vast majority of the time. When she did travel with a companion, usually a fellow warrior, a comfortable silence would ensue. This silence was different though, and it was making her edgy.

Ashei halted near a grove of trees on the side of the well traveled road. "We should stop here and get something to eat Link. You need to keep up your energy, you may not be wounded any longer but if you keep this pace up you'll wind up in a similar state as how I found you. Minus the blood of course, yeah?" She said to Link's back. Link had continued to ride forward even as she had spoken. Frowning she jogged to catch up and snatched Epona's reins out of Link's surprised hands. "That and you have some explaining to do."

She was surprised at the black glare he gave her, but she met his gaze until he backed down. When she pulled the reins, Epona refused to budge and the horse turned its head to look at her master. Link gave a curt nod and Epona started to move to Ashei's amazement. Recovering quickly she led Epona and Link to the grove. When they arrived, Ashei quickly settled to the ground lifting her travel pack off her shoulders. Briefly she considered helping Link down, but the way he was acting he could suffer through the dismount himself. Maybe a little more pain would clear his head.

Pulling out some hard tack and jerky she leaned back against a small fur tree to watch Link. It was slightly amusing to watch him try and figure out the easiest way to dismount without causing too much damage. He eventually settled on simply jumping down as one would normally do. When his legs buckled as he touched the ground she almost got up to help him. At least it proved that he was as weak as he should be…and that he was human.

Link limped over to the closest tree he could find before collapsing to the ground. Ashei threw him a biscuit and his hand flashed out to catch it. Still extremely fast for someone who should be dead at worst or still sleeping at best. The hero grimaced at the biscuit but took a small bite nonetheless forcing his jaw to rip off a piece of the stone biscuit.

"So," she began, "how did you end up becoming the bulbin's next meal?"

Link frowned. "I was invited," he said dryly.

"That kind of humor doesn't become you," Ashei responded.

"Your one to talk," Link retorted. At that Ashei's lips twitched, though in anger or amusement it was hard to tell. Silence dominated the next few minutes.

Ashei took the opportunity to remove the clasps on the sides of her head that held her hair in place. Along with them came the hair ties on her pigtails. They may be good for keeping her hair out of the way in battle but it the metal clasps were extremely uncomfortable.

Link looked on in shock as a black wave of hair fell down slightly past her shoulders. He had always thought she looked way to severe, but by simply letting her hair back it had transformed her. She actually looked, well, pretty Oh her face was still dark, probably like his own he reflected briefly, but it certainly changed her features.

"Some consider it rude to stare," she said. He hadn't realized he was staring and he abruptly looked away.

"I thought common courtesy wasn't part of you regimen," he said quoting what she had said to him almost half a year earlier.

Ashei looked at him in surprise. She didn't think he would have remembered her off hand comment back in Telma's bar. "I've learned a fair bit since we last met."

The silence lasted a few minutes longer as they each ate their food.

"You didn't answer my question though Link. How did you of all people end up getting caught by some of the dumbest brutes the plains have to offer?"

Link shot her a dirty look before responding. "I was daydreaming and I got ambushed along a narrow path. It's as simple as that."

She snorted at his words. "Daydreaming? You don't seem the type."

"No, normally I am not the type."

When Link offered nothing more on the subject she changed tactics. "What are you doing outside of Ordon? Based on the things I've heard about you, I never thought you would leave your village again."

"If I had any choice in the matter I would still be there. As it happens this trip may also offer me an opportunity I had thought impossible." Link said thinking back to his hidden patron. It may have been just a dream, but it seemed far too real to ignore. He had set forth on this expedition with little hope of achieving his goal, but the chances were rising. "You have been checking up on me?" He finished raising his eyebrows.

Ashei ignored his last comment. "Are you going to enlighten me as to where you are going or what your eventual objective is? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were heading to Castletown."

"If you persist on following me you will find out what I am after soon enough." Link paused and then went on the offensive. "Incidentally, how did you come to be in the area when I was ah…waylaid?

Ashei answered his question nonchalantly. "I was headed to a destination of my own. Trying to accomplish something I have been after for a while now."

The duo stared at each other unsmiling.

"That doesn't tell me very much." Link said, his ire rising.

"Seems familiar doesn't it, yeah?" She said coolly.

Link raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, I give, can we just get going now?"

Ashei's armor rubbed together causing the metal to rattle as she stood. She left her pack on the ground next to her. "If you can stand on your own, we shall continue, if not…" She let her sentence trail off.

Link mumbled something under his breath as he tried to rise from his seat. He made it to a knee before he collapsed against the tree ripping another hole in his already tattered and torn tunic. A few links of chainmail also came loose rolling through the hard dirt to come to a stop a few feet away. Link grunted and internally cursed his traitorous body. "Stop smirking Ashei." He growled.

"I wasn't under the impression I had made such an expression," she replied with voice devoid of emotion.

"Even if you weren't, you were probably smirking in your mind," He huffed.

"And what would you do if that were true?"

Link gaped at her. Had she actually made a joke?

"Throw that rag over here; as long as you are incapacitated I might as well get some work done. I don't know about you, but I would rather not be seen with a naked man once your outfit finally disintegrates. The female knight pulled out a small sewing kit from a pouch on the side of her pack.

Link shrugged out of the ragged green tunic and pulled off his chainmail shirt as well. As it stood, the mail would only hinder him until he could find a decent blacksmith to repair or replace it.

As soon as he threw the tunic up to her she settled back down and immediately began to stitch the fabric together again. Today was a day of small wonders it would seem. As often as he had talked to Ashei he had never once thought to see this side of her. In fact he did not know it even existed.

Ashei caught him staring at her once more. "Don't get the wrong idea Link, my father taught me how to mend clothes as part of my training. It's an important skill to have for long journeys.

Link held up his hand defensively. "I didn't say anything, wouldn't dream of it." He was silent for a moment. "What is your father like Ashei?" He asked in a quiet tone.

Ashei fumbled in her surprise causing the needle to slip and prick her finger. After a few choice words to the needle she put it down along with Link's garments. "My father…he was a great man." She started. "He raised me alone in the mountains of Snowpeak. I never asked why he chose just an inhabitable location though I think I know why. He was kind and loving even if he was a little gruff with me on occasion. He never yelled at me," She added. "When I was nine he trained me in the art of swordplay and archery as well other things like sewing and battlefield medicine."

Link smiled at that last mention resolving to thank the man if he ever met him.

"Despite the fact that I was a girl he loved me like a son, but I never resented him for that. He was a knight it was who he was. There was no other way he could have raised me. Everything I learned was from him; even this armor I wear now was once his. He had it modified to accommodate me. We would hunt periodically after game for our meals and to hone my skills. The white wolfos in the higher reaches were my father's favorite to hunt, the most challenging. Ultimately, it was what got him killed." Her voice cracked and she looked away.

Everything she had said had been in the past tense. It had been foolish of him to not see it earlier. Empty as he felt inside the pain he saw on her face kindled a feeling of life within him. "Ashei, I'm so sorry, I should have realized this was causing you pain. I just wanted to…" He stopped as she vehemently shook her head at him.

"Do not apologize Link, I have come to terms with his death." Despite her words tears streaked down her face putting a lie to her words. "My father was killed by a Yeti, though it was a white wolfos that led him to his death." Steel came into her voice masking the pain once more. "Two years ago while we were hunting to replenish our stores, a white wolfos appeared to us. Both of us tried out best to shoot the animal down, but it always managed to barely avoid our shots, as if it was taunting us."

Link knew the feeling, even as the Sacred Beast he had trouble keeping up with them much less taking them down.

"We followed it much higher up the mountains than we should have been and we were separated in a snowstorm. I thought my father would try to make it back down the mountain to our cabin, so I somehow managed to make my way back. When he didn't arrive, I grew worried, bit with the raging snowstorm above it would be impossible to search for him. I had to wait two days before the snow cleared enough to make the trip feasible. There were no tracks to follow because of the storm so I just followed my instincts trying to find any landmark I could remember. It was by pure chance that I stumbled across a cave." Her story had slowed now. "I made my way inside to get out of the cold if nothing else. When I worked my way farther inside I lit a torch I had brought with me." She stopped speaking.

He could guess was she had found. Yetis were formidable creatures, and they weren't squeamish about what they ate. Yeto and Yeta had been the exceptions to the rule, but he had heard enough to be wary of the creatures even when he was around the Yeti couple.

"I waited for the Yeti to come back to the cave and I killed it. You have seen it yourself Link."

He remembered the coat she had worn when she had helped him to find his way through Snowpeak. Back then he had thought the coat to only be made in the likeness of a yeti, not that it had actually once been part of one. That needle had sewn many different things together it seemed.

Something smacked into his face as he was lost in his thoughts. His tunic it would seem, mended as well as it could be with what Ashei had to work with. Link slipped it back on reveling in the familiar material sliding over his skin without the chainmail to mar the effect. "Thank you Ashei."

She ignored him and stood once more. "We are wasting daylight Link, let's go."

Before he had a chance to try and get up himself, Ashei had reached him swiftly and offered a steel hand. Link took the firm grasp and grunted as she helped pull him up. The pair gathered the gear hat was left and stored it in their respective places. Link took his ruined armor and tied it to the back of Epona's saddle.

Soon they were ready to leave and Epona looked up in annoyance as the sudden weight dropped down on her.

The pace he set was much slower now, mirroring his thoughts. Though each were different Ashei and Midna were actually very similar. Oh they each had their different quirks but in the end they were tied together by the same thing. Loss and pain. It was so familiar to him now, he had seen it in Midna's eyes, Ashei's, Ilia's, even his own. However cruel it was, it tied them together. Pain, like love, was something that tied everyone together. It had been his goal to try and remove that pain from as many people as possible, but he had succumbed to it in the end.

He looked over at the brooding woman walking a few paces beside him. It was good to have company he decided.

The wind blew across the plains blowing Ashei's still loose hair in a rolling cascade of darkness providing the counter to the bright sun they both walked towards.

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**There is chapter 6. Sorry if it was a little boring, but I wanted to flesh out Ashei's character a bit and I intend to do more of it in the future. I think the resistance members have a lot of potential for stories. Perhaps an idea to work with in the future eh? Next time the duo reaches Castletown. I've decided not to rush things and try to make the story more real so MidnaXLink Won't show up quite as soon as I planned, but it will get there I promise, please don't kill me. I've rambled long enough so as always please review and tell me how much my story sucks, etc. XD**

**Oh and just a personal complaint, stop writing Link fanfiction, as soon as my story comes up it gets buried. Sheesh lol Kidding of course, use your imagine to its fullest potential.**


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